


Sweet Ophelia

by bisexualparkers



Category: Iron Man (Comics), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Mutant Powers, Mutant!OFC, Mutants, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, tags will be updated as I go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 03:57:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17358485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bisexualparkers/pseuds/bisexualparkers
Summary: Ophelia Rose always knew in the back of her mind that one day, her identity would get out. She figured she would be locked up again, maybe even taken in by the government. Never did she expect for Tony Stark to track her down and give her a second shot at life. Learning to trust again is hard for Lia, even with her new family doing their best to be there for her every step of the way.Learning to love for the first time in her life is even harder.





	Sweet Ophelia

The drunken roars of the crowd should have been overwhelming to the petite brunette girl leaning against the corner of the packed warehouse but they didn’t bother her. After three years of coming to these fights, nothing about this situation fazed her anymore. She barely noticed the two men twice her size beating each other to a pulp in the middle of the ring, instead scanning the room for a fighter known as Bruiser. Spotting his bald head and heavily tattooed arms at the edge of the fighting ring, she pushed herself up off the wall and walked towards him. Sliding the black leather glove off her left hand she grabbed his muscled arm and felt his strength course through her.

Being born a mutant didn’t have many upsides, but her powers did at least allow her to be one of the most renowned street fighters in Queens. It wasn’t her ideal line of work of course, but it put food on the table and kept her from being harassed on the streets.

The large man looked down and simply nodded at her, but she noticed his hands gripping the railing a little tighter. Using her powers took a toll on both of them, but he would recover and get his strength back. Bruiser didn’t particularly approve of her being a mutant, but he apparently had a soft spot for kids, and his muscle and past special ops training made him the perfect partner for her. Plus, they had worked out a deal that got him forty percent of her winnings. Since she was only fourteen and looked incapable of landing a punch, nearly every newcomer always bet against her, making it a profitable arrangement for the both of them.

Feeling her body start to shift and take on some of Bruiser’s physical characteristics, she abruptly let go. If she went out there looking like him, surely someone would catch on to their ruse. She slid the glove back onto her hand as the crowd let out another roar. The current match had ended, and they were dragging the loser’s limp body out of the arena. The announcer, a heavyset man that seemed to always be sweating, hopped over the rails and hoisted the victor’s arm into the air.

“And another victory for The Wolf!” he cried, his nasally voice sending the crowd into another frenzy. Real names weren’t used here, not that it really mattered. Once you made a name for yourself in that grimy arena, everyone who was anyone less than an upstanding citizen knew exactly who you were.

“Now, for a particular favorite of mine, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the arena, Rogue!” the announcer bellowed. A few regulars let out a sparse amount of applause and whoops, but for the most part a hush fell over the crowd as the fourteen year old girl stepped forward, sliding over the railings with ease. She rolled her shoulders a few times and adjusted her black gloves, making sure that she had no exposed skin.

Ignoring the scattered whispers questioning everything from her age to the fact that she was a girl, she stepped forward and looked up at the wall of muscle she was about to fight. “All fights are fair fights,” she said. It was the way things were done here. Both fighters went in knowing very well that one of them would be leaving in less than prime condition. Anything went inside the arena, though most didn’t bring in weapons. It was unspoken among the regular fighters that weapons were only for cowards.

“All fights are fair fights,” The Wolf rumbled back, sizing her up. She could tell he was a new fighter, not just from the fact that she’d never seen him around before, but from the overconfident glint in his eyes as he took her in.

“And may the strongest fighter win,” the announcer yelled as he all but ran out of the arena, signalling the start of the fight.

The Wolf instantly began circling the arena, in what could only be described as a prowl. “What’s a pretty young thing like you doing in a place like this?” he rasped, his upper lip curling into an animalistic sneer. His long dark hair fell forward, framing his tanned face and giving him a rather sinister appearance.

 _I can see where he got his name from,_ she thought to herself, stepping into a defensive stance. _Let him come to you, he won’t be expecting your strength,_ she heard Bruisers voice echo inside her skull.

That was another one of the less than ideal side effects of her powers. While she had a person’s physical characteristics, she also had a copy of their mind rattling around inside her head. This meant that she had access to all of their memories, and also experienced having multiple personalities for brief periods of time.

While it was useful in situations like these where she could rely on Bruiser’s fighting expertise, it took a bit of getting used to and she was always glad when they were gone.

“What, got nothing to say for yourself?” The Wolf snarled at her, inching closer. “Well, this oughta loosen you up.”

With that he lunged forward, one of his hands reaching out in an attempt to grab a hold of the baggy grey hoodie she was wearing while the other shot towards her. _**Duck!** _Bruiser yelled inside her head, startling her and spurring her into action a half second too late. She was able to leap out of his grasp, but his fist collided with the right side of her head. She stumbled backwards as she heard an uncomfortably loud snap and pain blossomed throughout her entire face. As she struggled to regain her footing she felt blood drip down her nose and into her mouth, and her eye begin to swell shut.

“Great,” she said, spitting the blood out onto the dusty concrete floor. “Now you’ve made me mad.”

The Wolf simply laughed at her statement, but she was quick to put an end to that. Relaxing a little, she let go of her firm grasp on her own mind, instead letting Bruiser take a bit more control and his fighting instincts take over. She dashed across the small arena, faking like she was going to kick him in the sternum before dropping to her knees and sliding across the floor. She slid between his legs, instantly springing back up to land two brutal punches to his kidneys. The man stumbled forward, whirling around awkwardly to face her again. Capitalizing on his surprise she darted forward again, this time landing three swift blows to his stomach.

When he doubled over in pain she drove her knee upwards and into his face, relishing the resulting crunch of bone. The man let out a grunt of pain, before heaving himself up wildly throwing a few punches in her direction. This time she easily dodged them, careful to stay just beyond his reach. Rogue paused momentarily, wrestling the control of her mind and body back from Bruiser. She wanted to be the one end this.

She rushed at him once more, stepping on one of his bent legs before jumping up, wrapping her thighs around his neck and pulling them both to the ground. Keeping him in this chokehold, she sat up and watched his face turn purple.  
“What, got nothing to say for yourself?” she asked in the sweetest voice she could muster, mimicking his words from earlier. The Wolf went limp, his eyes rolling back in his head as the lack of oxygen finally forced him to pass out. “Didn’t think so.”

Ignoring the annoyance rippling off of Bruiser in her head, and his exasperated mutters of _You just had to show off, didn’t you?,_ she untangled herself from the unconscious fighter and heaved herself up. The announcer stepped back into the arena, and she noticed the hush that had fallen over the crowd. Two men quickly followed after him, rushing to drag The Wolf’s body to the med room.  
“Folks, I give you Rogue, with her first win of the night!” the announcer yelled, finally spurring the audience into action. As they cheered and hooted for her, the announcer attempted to wrap his chubby fingers around her wrist to hoist it into the air. Shooting him a withering glare, she stepped out of his reach and out of the arena in search of something to drink before her next fight.

~

~

~  
She had six other fights that night, though only two of her opponents managed to land any blows. Still, her whole body ached and she was pretty sure that her nose and a few of her ribs were broken. With Bruiser’s strength finally fading away, the pain had started to set in fully and she knew that the walk back to the abandoned building she had been calling home for the past two years was going to be a long one.

She was sitting at one of the creaky old barstools busy counting out her winnings for the night, when she noticed Bruiser walking over to her.

“How much did we make?” he asked, his voice low to prevent anyone from overhearing them. He slid onto the stool next to hers, the old and splintered wood creaking in protest.

She glanced around, but the warehouse had mostly emptied out save for a few people still busy tearing down the equipment so it could be moved to next week’s location. “We did well tonight,” she said sliding a stack of bills across the smooth countertop towards him. “You made $400 dollars.”

He let out a low whistle as he folded the money and stuffed it into his pocket. “You keep this up and I’ll be able to retire soon.”

The girl let out a short laugh, “Guess I gotta start losing then. What would I do without you around?”

This made the larger man chuckle and shake his head. “You’d figure something out, Rogue.” He made to stand up and leave when he paused and turned back to her “Oh by the way, someone’s out back asking for you. Real pretty boy type, but I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted a re-up just to be safe.”

She felt a pit form in her stomach as she mentally ran through the list of people who could be looking for her. _Nobody good,_ was her only conclusion. Forcing a smile onto her face she slid off her glove for the second time that night.

“Thanks for the heads up,” she said, laying her hand on his hairy forearm in what she hoped would seem natural to anyone who glanced their way. She didn’t linger as long this time, instead quickly lifting her hand up and returning her hand to the glove. “Better safe than sorry, right?”

She stood up, crumpling her money and jamming it into her hoodie pocket. Offering one last tight smile to Bruiser she headed towards the back exit, thankful that some of her pain was once again masked by his strength.

The metal door creaked open and she stepped out into the brisk October night. The alley was dark, only a single street lamp at the very end offering any light. _Great,_ she thought as she suppressed a shiver, _I’m more than likely gonna get murdered out here_. Wincing as the door slammed behind her, she stepped out into the center of the alley, looking around for the person who summoned her here.

“Hello?” she called out tentatively, freezing as her eyes landed on a shadowy figure several feet to her right.

“Ophelia Rose Campbell?” the figure asked, causing the girl to flinch. She hadn’t heard her full name in years. Their voice was almost familiar though, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“If it’s all the same to you, I prefer just Lia” she replied, instinctively dropping into her fighting stance as she wracked her brain for where she’d heard that voice before.

The person stepped forward, allowing the dim street light to cast a soft yellow glow across their face. Lia stifled a gasp as the recognition clicked into place. TV. That’s where she had heard this voice before. That’s why it seemed so familiar yet not at all. Because standing in front of her was the man the media hadn’t stopped talking about since he revealed his superhero alter ego two weeks ago.

Standing in front of her was Tony Stark himself.

“Just Lia then,” Stark said nodding to himself a little. “God, I’m sorry that was awful dramatic wasn’t it?” he asked, turning and gesturing at the shadows he had just stepped out of.

She knew he was probably expecting an answer, but she was still in too much shock. A million questions were flying through her head all at once. _What could Iron Man possibly want with me? How did he find me? How does he even know who I am?_ He started speaking again before she could form any of those questions into actual sentences.

“You know, for being a kid, you’re an awfully hard girl to find. Did you know that your old orphanage declared you dead in a boating accident at age 9?” Her back stiffened at the mention of that godforsaken place. “JARVIS really had his work cut out for you tracking you down.”

She finally cut him off, as the brief high from Bruiser’s strength started to wear off and the pain set in once more. “All due respect Mr. Stark, but what is it exactly that you want with me?” she asked, thankful for the way her voice held steady.

“Straight to the point, I like it” he said, cocking his head as he finally took her in.

She couldn’t imagine how she looked to him. She knew she was tall for her age, but she also knew she was extremely underweight as a result of her saving up most of her winnings in hopes of being able to get herself an actual apartment soon. It probably didn’t help that the hoodie she was wearing tonight was a few sizes too big and her black leggings had holes in the knees from her fights tonight. In fact, the only thing remotely presentable about her appearance at the moment were her leather gloves that she made sure were always in immaculate condition.

“I have a proposition for you kid, one that I think you’re gonna like. It’s not exactly something we can discuss in the alley outside an illegal fight club though, so why don’t we head back to my place in Manhattan? We can get you cleaned up and maybe even something to eat while we chat. My car is parked just around the corner.”

“No offense Mr. Stark, but I don’t really make a habit of going to the homes of strangers I just met in alleys.”

“Please, call me Tony. Mr. Stark makes me think of my father.” he said, taking a few steps forward towards her.

She retreated, not keen on touching anyone else tonight, especially him. “Mr. Stark, Tony, either way I’m not coming with you” she replied with a huff, folding her arms across her chest in a way that she hoped made her seem intimidating.

The older man sighed, “Look kid, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Easy way being you come with me now and you get a warm shower and a hot meal out of it. Hard way being you leave and I call the cops. You’ll probably only go to juvie, but I assume things will get interesting once they find out about your powers.” He shrugged, “Up to you though.”

Lia let out a small huff of annoyance, weighing her current options. He was right, getting picked up by the cops wouldn’t end well for her, but she’d been keeping off their radar for five years. Surely she could do it for one more night. Stark was the wild card here though. She wasn’t sure if his suit was anywhere nearby, but with Bruiser’s strength nearly gone even fighting him without his suit would probably end in disaster for her.

“Fine.”

“Smart choice, kid.” Tony turned, heading towards where the alley met the main road and gesturing for her to follow. “All I ask is that you don’t get blood on the seats, the car’s brand new.”

He turned, glancing over his shoulder and smiled a little to himself when he saw the small girl trailing after him. He genuinely thought that it would have been harder to convince her, but was ultimately grateful it had gone down this way. If he would have had to call the cops things would have gotten so messy, and he knew that wasn’t the best way to start off his relationship with her.

Reaching the car, he fished the keys out of his pockets and clicked the unlock button twice. The silver sports car let out a few cheery blips and he grabbed the passenger door handle to open it for Ophelia. But when he turned around to face her, she was nowhere to be seen.

“Damn it, kid. Just had to do things the hard way, didn’t you,” he sighed, pulling his cell phone out and dialing 911.

~

~

~  
Lia was wheezing by the time she reached the abandoned building she had been living in for the last three years. She had run the 3 miles from the alley at a dead sprint, not wanting to waste any time. She knew that time was precious, but she took a moment to lean against the wall nearest to her and catch her breath. _I definitely have some broken ribs,_ she thought, wincing as she tentatively poked her side. The entire right side of her face was still throbbing from where The Wolf had landed his punch earlier and her back hurt from when a different opponent had taken her by surprise and managed to throw her to the ground.

Grunting, she pushed herself up off the brick wall and walked around to the back where a rusty chain link fence was waiting for her. Hoisting herself over it was no easy task, and she couldn’t prevent the small cry of pain that fell from her lips when she landed on the other side.

Finally reaching the actual building, Lia reached up and pulled off the wooden boards she had placed across the largest window this morning when she left. She knew that they didn’t really offer her any security, but they gave her peace of mind which was what really mattered. Hoisting herself through the opening she created, Lia dropped down into the ramshackle building.

She wasn’t sure what it had been before it was abandoned, but to her it was her home. Crossing the vast room, she navigated around the massive concrete support beams to the corner where she kept all of her things.

It wasn’t much, consisting primarily of a thermal sleeping bag with the folded wad of cash from her previous winnings inside, her dismal food supply which currently consisted of canned beans and a stale package of Oreos, and a couple variations of the same outfit she was currently wearing.

Shoving her things into the tattered red backpack that she’d found in a dumpster a few years back, Lia shoved herself back to her feet. Slinging the bag across her shoulder and pulling the hood up so it would better conceal her face, she left the building the same way she entered it. Pausing in the window, she looked back into the dim and dusty interior. She knew it was silly, but this place had been the one constant in her life for the last three years and she was sad to leave it behind. _Maybe I can come back when all this Stark nonsense blows over,_ she mused.

Lia turned, ready to begin the climb back over her fence when she was met with a sight that made her stomach drop. Red and blue lights flashed, nearly blinding her but outlining the three police officers who stood not ten feet from where she was. They all had their guns drawn and pointed directly at her, causing her to freeze in her tracks.

“Ophelia Campbell, you’re under arrest for vagrancy and trespassing. Please kneel, put your hands on your head, and refrain from using your mutant powers or we will have no choice but to use force to bring you in.” the lead cop called to her, never once breaking eye contact.

Knowing this was one fight she wouldn’t win, especially in her condition Lia let her bag slide off her shoulder as she sank to her knees and complied with their orders.

She was silent as the officers tentatively approached her and secured the handcuffs around her wrists. She was silent as they led her to one of the patrol cars and roughly shoved her into the backseat. She was silent as they drove her to the station where she would be booked and forced to stay while they figured out what to do with a fourteen year old powered girl who was technically supposed to be dead.

She was silent because if she opened her mouth, she knew she would start screaming and never stop. Lia was seeing red, and not just because of the lights flashing from the top of the police car. Lia was seeing red because of a billionaire who thought he knew what was best for her just because he liked to fly around in a metal suit. Lia was angrier than she had been in years, all because of Tony Stark.

**Author's Note:**

> hi i hope you enjoyed!! peter will be here in chapter 3 but this is going to be a long fic and slow burn u have been warned now
> 
> also a reminder that feedback keeps my soul ALIVE lmao
> 
> find me on tumblr - @astrospideys


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